2. Railways

Cambridge-St Ives-March

This collection is dedicated to the memory of the late Steve Wilkinson of Histon who fought tirelessly in conjunction with the Railway Development Society (Rail Future) to re open the Cambridge- St Ives line.

Timeline:-
Chesterton Junction to St Ives- opened 17th August 1847.
St Ives to March South Junction- opened 1st February 1848.

The fifteen and a half mile line from St Ives to March South Junction closed on 6th March 1967 when freight traffic declined. The passenger service was also recommended for closure in the Beeching Report of 1963. Little trace of this section of the line exists today. Long sections have been converted to road and the various cuttings to landfill. Many thanks to Stewart Ingram for permission to include some of his pictures from the last day of working. The passenger service from St Ives to Cambridge closed on 5th October 1970, but fortunately the line stayed open for freight traffic to Chivers at Histon until 1983 and a long term sand contract from ARC at Fen Drayton ensured the line stayed open until May 1992. This section of the line has been totally destroyed by the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway which opened on 7th August 2011. Here are a few photos to show how it looked in it's final operational days plus a few relics. The line was once a very busy freight route to March, Whitemoor Yard and the Yorkshire coalfields with over 70 workings a day, the line being open all night.

Maps used in this gallery. Ordnance survey- 1" to a mile. Sheet 135 Cambridge and Ely (1954) and Sheet 134 Huntingdon and Peterborough (1954)

Cast Iron http://www.castiron.org.uk/

Film of the line in 1968
http://player.bfi.org.uk/film/watch-cambridge-st-ives-1968/

Cambridge- St Ives- March/ Death of a railway 1964.
http://player.bfi.org.uk/film/watch-death-of-a-railway-1964/
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31177 on the demolition train, removing the UP line. c1983
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31177 on the demolition train, removing the UP line. c1983

IMG213

  • 37089 waits to load passengers on an excursion to Lowestoft. 21st June 1980.
  • Histon Signal Box, Goods Shed and Goods Office are evident here as 37099 approaches with the 8L43 Fen Drayton to Kings Cross Yard sand working.To the left of the loco the second man is changing the points on the crossover. Just over his head is a green water tank the purpose of which at the moment is a mystery. Does it originate from steam days??. The line from here to Fen Drayton has been singled. The old up line to the right of the loco is used for consignments of Seville oranges to Chivers Factory. Picture dated 23rd November 1979.
  • 37099 heads towards Cambridge in this scene on 23rd November 1979. The crossing keepers hut at least has been saved from the destruction caused by the guided busway. Local volunteers took it down brick by brick and rebuilt it the other side of the tracks.
  • A far cry from the scene today at this location. 37075 (now preserved) traverses the crossing gates at Histon with 8L43, Fen Drayton to Kings Cross on 9th December 1978
  • 37102 arriving at Histon with 8L43 Fen Drayton to Kings Cross Yard. 16th November 1979.
  • 37102 waits for the gates to be opened at Histon. 16th November 1979.
  • 37026 departs Histon with sand from Fen Drayton on 24th April 1978. A piece of local history here. Between the right hand eave of the station house and the grey building on top of Chivers factory to the right is a barely perceptible small black protrusion. This was a steam powered whistle with a tone of around 800 Hz which apparently served as an "all clear" signal for enemy action during the second world war. Chivers used it after the war to announce the start and end of shifts. It went off at 0800, 1300,1345 and 1700 and could be heard all over the village. It was always interesting to watch the spurt of steam issuing from the building at these times. It was locally known as the buzzer. All long gone now of course.
  • Removing the Up line at Histon between the crossing gates and the bypass bridge. 31177 is up front behind the camera. c1983
  • 31177 on the demolition train, removing the UP line. c1983
  • Track work at Histon c1981
  • Histon station house. 24th October 1978.
  • Histon Station viewed facing north east from the Down home signal. c1960 The goods yard to the left looks like it is still being used.
  • An example of one of the station lamps at Histon, minus its glass dome. This one was located next to the pedestrian gates at the crossing. 17th September 1978
  • Histon looking south east during the heavy snow of the Winter of 1980/1981
  • Histon facing Oakington with the goods shed on the right. Winter 1980/81
  • Histon. Buildings on the up platform. 1981
  • The station house and Up platform in 1961. To the right is Chiver's factory and on the platform behind the flower border, boards probably advertising holidays by rail or special excursions to Clacton/Hunstanton. Next to the ticket office baskets of racing pigeons? await the next passenger train. Image thanks to Pete Driver.
  • Histon facing Oakington on 14th April 1974. This shows the wooden waiting shelter on the down platform which disappeared not long after the picture was taken. It is thought to now be in storage at the Mid Norfolk Railway.
  • Histon facing Oakington 14th April 1974. To the right of the red gate lamp is the front of the booking office giving some shelter when buying tickets.
  • Histon Station c1981
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